


Golden

by Charlotte_Lancer



Series: "Write The Story" prompt drabbles [2]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Brief references to dadt, Choose Your Own Ending, Coming Out, Fluff, M/M, Multiple Endings, Not Beta Read, Sort Of, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, They're both fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-13 18:27:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15370662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlotte_Lancer/pseuds/Charlotte_Lancer
Summary: For the prompt: "the love of each other's lives."





	1. Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two works in and I've already abandoned the whole "drabbles" thing...

A flash of burning heat across Rodney’s wrist pulled his attention away from his work, just enough to notice others inspecting their wrists, pulling up sleeves and staring at the exposed skin with a wide range of emotions visible on their faces. Some looked shocked, others happy, and some sad, but every face held an underlying confusion. 

 

Rodney glanced down at his own wrist, pulling aside the sleeve to reveal four pale brown letters written across his skin, barely visible against his skin.  _ John _ . He had s sinking feeling he knew exactly where this was going.

……

Thorough examinations had confirmed that, medically, nothing was amiss due to the involuntary new tattoos that everyone on Atlantis now sported, though Carson was unable to say what had caused them to form. Privately, Rodney suspected that Sheppard had touched yet another Ancient device that he shouldn't have; the man had a real talent for finding trouble even where there shouldn't be any to find. 

 

Rodney tightened his watch over the name as he walked to the emergency meeting that Elizabeth had called, then tugged the sleeve down to cover the watch. When he arrived, he saw all manner of arm coverings, present on everyone but Teyla, whose tattoo, bearing the name  _ Kanaan _ , shone bright gold. John was nowhere to be seen.

 

“I was able to contact Stargate Command,” started Elizabeth as the last of the people filed in, “and they have seen something similar in the past, on several planets.” People stirred in interest, some placing a hand over where their word lay. “Essentially, the marks are supposed to tell your ‘soulmate’.” Elizabeth managed an impressively serious tone, but a brief look of disbelief showed in her eyes. “The mark will change colour the first time you touch your soulmate, or the first time you touch them after receiving the mark, for those of you that have already met the person named on your arm.” Elizabeth called for any questions, and, receiving none, dismissed the meeting with a warning of caution regarding the marks.

 

Rodney headed for the infirmary immediately, intent on begging a large bandage off of Carson.

….

Rodney managed to carefully avoid Sheppard until dinner time, at task made easier by the fact that Sheppard seemed to be hiding from his as well. He knew, logically, that it was highly unlikely that John Sheppard was  _ his _ John; John was one of the most common names in the English speaking world, and it was just as likely that his supposed soulmate was the John who worked in the kitchen on the Daedalus, or the John who owned the auto shop down the street from Jeannie. Hope tended not to obey logic, however, and when he saw Sheppard in the dining hall, he couldn't help the small amount of it that started to build in the back of his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frankly I couldn't decide how to end this- if John hadn't yet noticed Rodney was his soulmate, or if he knew already- so you get both.
> 
> Chapter two for the first scenario, chapter three for the second.


	2. Ending One

Sheppard had his wrist covered by a black band, as usual, so Rodney wasn't able to see whose name had taken up residence on his wrist. He looked up when Rodney sat down across from him, and, as his expression didn’t exactly scream “I have your name on my wrist,” Rodney deigned to leave the subject alone, at least for now. 

At least, until John brought it up on his own. 

“Rodney, what did you do to your wrist?”

Rodney glanced down at the arm not suddenly bearing a tattoo, confused. It looked perfectly fine to him.

“Nothing, why?”

“The one wrapped in a bandage, Rodney.” John said, sounding like he thought that should have been obvious. Which, maybe, but…

“I didn’t do anything to it, that’s just to cover the mark. I couldn't get my watch to stay in place over it.”

John looked confused. “Mark?” he asked. 

“The soulmate mark? Hello, are randomly appearing tattoos an everyday occurance for you or something?” John’s eyebrows rose as he continued on, “did you really not notice that everyone in Atlantis is covering their wrists somehow?”

John looked down at his own wrist, contemplating it for several seconds before reaching to remove the band. Rodney couldn’t see what it said, but John looked disappointed. That couldn’t be a good sign.

“Oh,” said John, no emotion in his voice.

“What ‘oh’?”

“Nothing. I was just expecting it to be, um, someone I know, not some just some woman I’ve never met, that’s all.” John rubbed a thumb over his wrist, still hidden from Rodney’s view.

“Hey, at least it’s not Todd,” said Rodney, trying to lighten the mood. John glared at him, but he could see the smallest hint of a smirk gracing the edge of John’s mouth.

They joked around some more as they ate the rest of their meal, not broaching the topic of the Mark's again. Eventually Ronan and Teyla arrived to join then, Teyla’s gold mark a sharp contrast with the bracer covering most of Ronan’s forearm. Teyla looked between the two of them, expectant. Rodney wished she had found what she was looking for.  
…….  
It was two days later when John brought up the subject of the marks again, while they sat on the edge if the pier. 

“Do you think the marks could be… wrong?” he asked. Rodney had been contemplating a similar question since it had become clear that his name wasn’t on John’s wrist. They still had no idea where the marks had come from, or how they worked. 

“I suppose they could be, why?” Rodney hoped John would tell him whose name he had; even though he knew it wasn't him, he was still curious as to whose name John had gotten.

“I can’t tell you.” At Rodney’s confused expression, John spoke again. “Rodney, I can’t tell you.”

“Oh. Ohhh!” Rodney knew he probably looked as surprised as he felt. He’d suspected before, of course, but to hear as close to a confirmation as he was going to get… he turned to face John, who looked like he was trying to convince Atlantis to swallow him whole. Unthinkingly, Rodney reached out to offer a comforting hand, but his wrist began to burn anew when he touched John’s shoulder. 

“What the hell?” yelled John, jerking back slightly, but not quite far enough to break contact. A golden glow emanated from both their wrists, bright enough to shine through Rodney's sleeve-covered bandage, and John’s black band.

As soon as it stopped, Rodney pulled back his arm, and unwrapped the fabric from his wrist. Gold. He stared at John, silent for what felt like minutes before he spoke again.

“You're my soulmate. The gold, it means we’re soulmates!” His smile faded as he remembered what John had said at dinner. “Wait, I thought you said you’d never met the person on your wrist? We’ve known each other for two years!”

The expression on John’s face was nearly unreadable, but his voice betrayed his disappointment as he spoke.

“I don’t have your name, Rodney, as much as I wish I did.” John looked to the ground again, but he moved a hand towards Rodney, who took it gladly. After a moment, John pulled back, and slipped the band off of his wrist, before extending it towards Rodney, showing him his mark.

Rodney couldn’t help the smile that broke across his face, and he grabbed John into a tight hug before releasing him just as quickly.

“Read the personnel files once in a while, John.”

“What?” Now it was John’s turn to look confused.

“First names, John, the mark operates on first names.” Rodney could see the realization spread across John’s face, and barely a second passed before John grabbed him into a searing kiss, pulling their bodies closer together than Rodney would have ever thought possible.

Gold, Rodney considered, might just be his new favorite colour.


	3. Ending Two

Sheppard had his wrist covered by a black band, as usual, so Rodney wasn't able to see whose name had taken up residence on his wrist. Sheppard had a conflicted look on his face, as if he were trying to figure out the best way to approach a difficult subject. When he saw Rodney, however, he schooled his features into a more neutral expression, a casual smile gracing his face. John made no motion to bring up the marks as they ate, leaving Rodney increasingly curious about whose name been seared onto John’s wrist, especially as he began to fidget with the black band hiding the mark.

By the end of dinner, Rodney was almost certain his name was on John’s wrist, between the extended mishandling of the innocent armband, and John’s seeming reluctance to even acknowledge the existence of the marks verbally when half of the people in the room couldn’t seem to stop discussing them. Rodney was about ready to go back to the lab, and had stood to leave, when John stopped him.

“Come with me first,” he said. Rodney looked at him, waiting for an explanation, but no clarification was forthcoming. Silently, Rodney acquiesced, nodding his intent to follow.

John led them to his own room, opening the door with a stray thought. Once they were inside, John once again looked unsure of what to do, so Rodney sat down on the edge of John’s beg, unwrapping the bandage from his wrist.

“I’m assuming you have my name on your wrist,” he said, holding up his now bared wrist for John to see, “or else this is just very awkward.”

The smile on John’s face confirmed his suspicions, and John bared his wrist, showing Rodney’s own name to him as he did. Rodney reached out to take his hand, looking up for confirmation that this was okay- that they were really going to do this. John responded by clasping Rodney’s hand in his own.

The golden light that shone from both of their wrists was enough to light the room two times over, and seemed to brighten even further before slowly receding into a dim glow that replaced the pale brown of the letters. Rodney knew John’s bright smile was mirrored on his own face, wide enough to hurt if he had cared to pay attention to anything but John.

John used their still-joined hands to pull them together into a kiss, claiming Rodney in a tight embrace as he did so. Rodney didn’t hesitate to pull John even closer to him, wanting to feel every detail of this new sensation.

Rodney couldn’t remember ever being so thankful for strange alien technology.


End file.
